The Sokoto State Hisbah Board has rejected allegations that it imposed restrictions targeting Christians, describing the claims as false and misleading.
The Board says the circulating reports do not reflect its policies or actions.
What really happened in Sokoto?
Read the full story for the Board’s response and the facts behind the controversy. Link in the comment section.
#Sokoto #NigeriaNews #Hisbah #BreakingNews #Christianity #Pinok247The Sokoto State Hisbah Board has rejected allegations circulating on social media that the religious enforcement agency has imposed restrictions on Christian worship and practices in the state, describing the claims as false, misleading and capable of creating unnecessary religious tension.
The clarification was issued on Saturday by the Board’s Commandant, Dr. Usman Abdullahi Jatau, following claims attributed to a blogger and circulated widely online alleging that Hisbah was interfering with Christian worship and dictating how Christians should conduct church services.
Among the claims was an allegation that mixed gatherings of men and women were prohibited in churches, with Christian worship services supposedly required to be conducted separately according to gender. Other claims alleged that pastors could not sit with their wives during church services.
The allegations also linked the purported restrictions to a wider conspiracy to Islamise Nigeria, allegedly beginning in Sokoto and spreading to other parts of the country.
However, Jatau firmly dismissed the allegations, insisting that they do not reflect the law establishing the Sokoto State Hisbah Board, its statutory mandate or its actual activities.
According to the Commandant, the law establishing the Hisbah Board, enacted by the Sokoto State House of Assembly, applies to Muslims and does not empower the agency to regulate Christian worship or interfere with the religious practices of people of other faiths.
He maintained that the Board therefore has no mandate to dictate how Christians conduct church services, organise gatherings, relate with their spouses during worship or practise their religion.
“Our response is not intended to please or offend anybody, but to correct factual inaccuracies, challenge unsupported assertions, and distinguish facts from malicious and fictitious misinterpretations,” Jatau said.
The latest clarification comes after earlier controversy surrounding Hisbah directives on certain marriage-related customs and social activities in Sokoto. While those measures generated widespread debate online, fact-checking by DUBAWA found that the restrictions being discussed did not apply to Christians. The Sokoto State Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Rev. Dr. Kayode James, also previously confirmed that Christians were not affected.
Jatau urged members of the public to disregard the latest allegations and avoid using unverified social media claims to fuel religious distrust or hostility.
The Commandant further cautioned against linking the Hisbah Board to political narratives about an alleged plan to Islamise Nigeria, saying such claims were unrelated to the agency’s statutory responsibilities.
He reaffirmed the need for peace, unity, mutual respect and responsible use of social media, stressing that attempts to exploit religious issues could undermine the longstanding coexistence among different faith communities in Sokoto State.
